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President’s Posting
Hickory Demo Day at Jackson Park: Golf History, Diversity on Display By Mark Ohrenschall President, Jackson Park Men’s Golf Club Golf’s history, and a small but rising share of its present, came to life Saturday, June 6, during “Hickory Demo Day” at Jackson Park. It featured a two-hour session at the range, with hickory-shafted clubs available for practice use and hickory devotees sharing their knowledge and expertise, along with a putting-green station, and a follow-on outing at the par-3 course. I found this event revealing about hickories, and also illustrative of golf’s beautiful kaleidoscope. We (the JP men’s club) played a minor role in this demo day, buying a few buckets for the range session, coordinating logistics with JP staff (thanks, Matt and Luc) and marketing it to members. Most of the work came from Martin Pool, Jimmy Bucher and other hickory enthusiasts, many of whom belong to Northwest Hickory Players, described on its website as “a voluntary association of golfers formed to enjoy and encourage playing golf exclusively with hickory era, pre-1935 equipment.” The website includes events, podcasts, history, photos, resources, lore and more. Prior to June 6, my hickory experience consisted of a few informal shots, rarely successful. But with some guidance from Martin, Jimmy and others–notably, swing smoothly but with conviction–I managed to decently strike balls with clubs such as a niblick (high-lofted iron), mashie (mid- to short-iron) and brassie (wood/driver). One solid shot with a wooden-headed hickory club conjured sweet memories of one of my all-time favorite clubs, a persimmon-headed, steel-shafted 4-wood from the late 20th Century. Another participant said of his initial hickory swings: “Feels like a golf club.” Shots with hickory clubs don’t travel as far as with “moderns,” as the hickory folks call current golf technology. It’s roughly a two-club difference, I learned. But it’s still recognizably golf, similar to how a 1980s-era Apple Macintosh would today recognizably be a personal computer. I also tried a wooden-headed mallet-style hickory putter on the putting green. Initially it felt strange, but with a few practice attempts it became recognizably putting–in other words I mostly missed, lol. I also enjoyed learning a few tidbits about hickory technology (some early-day clubfaces had no grooves, for example) and aspects of its modern-day revival, including a national open coming to Gearhart Golf Links in coastal Oregon in September. As a history/golf buff, I respect and admire the hickory crowd, people like Martin, Jimmy, Carl Leboa, Luke Suplizio and others, some affiliated with Jackson Park. They come across as passionate, friendly and supportive, eager to share their love of and tangible connection to golf’s venerable history dating to the mid-1800s. Later I asked Martin why he played hickories. “My primary reason … is that I enjoy learning about the history of the game: How golf got started, how it has evolved over the years, and how the equipment and the courses have changed,” he said via email. “I feel like a time traveler going back a hundred or more years, and experiencing golf as it was played then. “I also enjoy the challenge of playing these old clubs,” he continued. “It’s amazing to me that golf clubs made out of wood still perform well enough for me to play a decent game. Unlike modern equipment, each hickory club has its own personality and quirkiness, and discovering the one that fits you is a joy. And when one of your favorites breaks, it’s like losing a friend. “Many of our players enjoy tinkering with the clubs to make them more playable by experimenting with swing weights, flexes, as well as repairing and refinishing them,” he said. “I’m no craftsman, but I do enjoy that aspect of hickory golf as well.” On another level, Hickory Demo Day showed how golf is enjoyed in many different ways. Playing century-old clubs and wearing Victorian-era garb is one. So, too, are little tots cavorting on the putting green with their parents; First Tee classes serving a multiplicity of kids 6-18; young adults drinking beer and playing Top Tracer on the range, and/or riding on the course, music flowing; our women counterparts with the Jackson Jills; my fellow seniors practicing, playing, socializing and savoring our twilight years with this game of a lifetime; those of us competing in local, state, regional and national tournaments; JPMGC members with their wide range of ages, demographics and golf skills; and many other varying forms. Golf carries an increasingly outdated image as an elitist sport. Elements of that still exist, but spend time at Jackson Park and other public-golf facilities–including at Hickory Demo Day–and you’ll realize it’s very much a game of the people, in all of our glorious diversity. Happy summer to all.
Jackson Park Report: Update on Driving Range Fence Replacement, Two Other Projects
By Matthew Lipe General Manager, Jackson Park Golf Course Here is a summary of three projects at Jackson Park. Driving Range Fence Replacement Starting Monday, July 6, and scheduled to last for three to four weeks, the driving range fence will be replaced on both the east and west sides, starting with the east side bordering Hole No. 10.During this period, the driving range will run at half capacity and for irons only, on Mondays through Fridays. Which half of the range will be available will alternate depending on which side of the range fence is being replaced. Weekends will be back to full capacity for the range throughout this project.In addition, No. 10 will play as a par-3 for the first 1.5 to 2 weeks of this project, on Mondays through Fridays, switching back to a par-4 once the east side of the range replacement is finished. No. 10 will remain a par-4 for weekend play during this project. Restaurant, Pro-Shop Exterior Painting The City of Seattle will paint the restaurant and pro-shop exteriors at some point in July. This will not affect day-to-day operations. Driving-Range Outdoor Patio Upgrade Work continues on the patio-reclamation project near the entrance to the driving range. Once that is completed, tables and chairs will be ordered.
JPMGC 2026 Competitions in Full Swing
By Jeff Schoening, Tournament Director Emeritus All three leagues and six of the seven match-play tournaments are underway for Jackson Park Men’s Golf Club in 2026. The club’s final match-play tournament, Non-Championship Gross Summer, begins June 29. The Saturday league is run by Dan Fabela, who also manages Venmo. Attendance is up compared to last year, averaging 79 players as of May 31 in stroke-play events. Returning this year is our policy of emphasizing the importance of Field Days and the two-day Jackson Classic by offering larger payouts for those events. The club share and first-place payouts for Field Days and the Jackson Classic (held June 20 and 21) will be around 35 percent and $120, and for the other tournaments will be around 25 percent and $100. The Tuesday league is run by Karl Meier, with Walt Dickhoff managing Venmo. It kicked off March 17. Attendance is up this year, averaging 47 players for the first nine events through May. Tee times are reserved from 9 a.m. to about 10:45 a.m., plus about a dozen players often make their own tee times before 9 a.m. The league features a Tuesday Championship held over July 7 and 14 and a Tuesday Cup, a season-long event akin to the FedEx Cup and ending in September. The 32 players with the most points qualify to compete for the Cup in the second event in September; the 16 players with the most points after that then qualify for the third September event; and eight players qualify to compete for the Cup in the final event. New this year was the Tuesday Triple, played over three Tuesdays in May, with a gold- tee division and a blue-tee division. Players in the blue-tee division played blue tees the first week, white tees the second and gold tees the third. Players in the gold-tee division play gold first, then white, and end with gold. The Wednesday league is run by Brian Asplund, who also manages Venmo. This league began play April 29. This is a popular league, with tee sheets filling quickly. To get on the waitlist for a specific Wednesday, send Brian an email (brian.d.asplund at gmail.com). When registered players withdraw, he will add waitlisted players to the tee sheet. Attendance is averaging 52 players as of the end of May, less than last year because the number of tee times was reduced so players could finish in daylight. With longer days, the number of tee times will increase. Match Play Click here for the Match Play page on the club website, a page well worth bookmarking as it includes brackets, results and other information for each of the seven competitions. Gross match play began May 25, run by Cecil Grant. There is a 16-player bracket. Kyle Miller is the 2024 and 2025 champ, although he is not in the field this year. Net match play was delayed until May 12, and is run by Patrick Wilson. With 37 players signed up, the four brackets have many first-round byes. The first round ended May 25. Brian Larson is the 2025 champ. Four-Ball Net is run by John McDermott. There are 48 players (24 teams) playing in two brackets. The first round ended June 7. Ken Smith and James Wang are the 2025 champs. Non-Championship Gross Spring began on April 27, run by Cecil Grant. There are 19 players with four brackets. The first round ended May 25. Cecil will also run Non-Championship Gross Summer. Senior Gross began May 25, run by Jack Whelan. There is a 14-player bracket. Mark Ohrenschall is the 2025 champ. Legends Net began May 25, run by Jack Whelan. There is a 15-player bracket. Reed Johnson is the 2023, 2024, and 2025 champ in this event for members 70 and older. Match-play participation is down for a second straight year. Net and Four-Ball Net have lower participation this year, with 85 players total versus 128 in 2024. Legends Net and Senior Gross are near capacity at 15 and 14, respectively. Final match-play attendance numbers will be known once Non-Championship Gross Summer registration closes on June 16. That tournament accepts unlimited numbers of players, who are flighted according to handicap. The brackets generally have an eight-player maximum. Here are tournament statistics through May 2026 2026 Statistics Sat. & MP Tuesday Wednesday Total Tournament Rounds 541 472 265 1,278 No. of Payouts 237 318 140 695 Pct. Of Players Paid 43.81% 67.37% 52.83% 54.38% Player Purse Fee $12,392 $8,534 $2,120 $23,046 Club Contribution $4,543 $3,221 $880 $8,644 Club Percentage 26.83% 27.40% 29.33% 27.28% Total Payout $16,935 $11,755 $3,000 […]
JPMGC Members Share a Favorite Golf Memory
We recently asked JPMGC members to share a favorite golf memory; here are three. Bruce Galvin During the Tuesday Winter League on Jan. 20, 2026, with playing partners Jeff Williams and Tim Bowen, I recorded a hole in one on No. 17 at Jackson Park. My eyesight is not very good, so Jeff and Tim told me as I approached the pitch mark on the green that the ball went over the green. When I looked in the hole, there was my yellow ball. Jeff said, ‘You don’t play that color.’ They almost had me fooled. My first hole in one in since the 1970s. Andy Erickson In May of 1993, my bachelor party kicked off with a round of golf at Jackson Park. For those who don’t remember, the 10th hole used to be a short, straight par-4 where the driving range sits today. The tee box was right outside the snack bar, where we pick up carts now. My groomsmen and I may have purchased beers at the turn. We may not have needed more beers. And we certainly were unconcerned about pace of play. So there we were–nine or 10 of us standing, sitting and laying around the tee box–when one of my buddies, a former NCAA soccer All-American, teed a ball ridiculously high, took 10 paces back, and, swinging the club overhead in a Scottish Highland Games sort of motion, made a running start at it. The club may have been a persimmon 3-wood. He absolutely laced it. Purest strike you’ve ever seen. The ball flew long and straight, carried the little ridge protecting the front of the green, and came to rest on the fringe. We lost our minds. Pandemonium. Several of us tried to recreate the shot. None of us made contact. And to my friend’s eternal credit, he has never attempted it again. Did it once, perfectly, and let his record stand. Legend. Mark Ohrenschall As a golfer for more than 50 years, I’ve had countless memorable experiences with the game, too many to list here. So I’ll share one … Shortly after Bandon Dunes opened in 1999, we took a two-family summer vacation to the Oregon coast, and a buddy from the other family and I arranged to play a round at the then-new links course. Standing on the 3rd tee, the only sound I heard was the roar of the ocean nearby. And as I looked out over the panorama of the par-5 bending right towards the green, in the distance I saw a procession of white-suited caddies snaking through the gorse, conjuring in my mind an image of Druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. A feeling of primeval wonder washed over me. This is my coolest moment ever on a golf course, I thought, between the sublime setting and the connection (even if imaginary) to the British Isles, home of golf. It was magical, and I still feel the sense of amazement a quarter-century later.
News and Notes: July 21 JPMGC Charity Event; Seattle Cup; and More
Registration Open for July 21 JPMGC Charity Event Benefitting Harvest Against Hunger Registration is now open for the 9th Annual JPMGC Charity Classic on Tuesday, July 21, at Jackson Park. Co-sponsored by our men’s club along with Lake Forest Park, Northshore and Shoreline Rotary clubs, this annual event has raised more than $68,000 since 2018 for Harvest Against Hunger, a non-profit providing fresh fruit and produce to regional food banks. Format is a four-person team scramble, open to everyone (no handicaps required). Special features include mulligans, throws, automatic two-putts, prizes for KPs and straight drives, and a jar raffle. Tee times are available from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Donations of items and/or Premier Golf “book money” are welcome, as are sponsorships. For more information and to register, visit the event website. Seattle Cup Coming in Late August The 2026 Seattle Cup will take place the weekends of Aug. 22-23 and Aug. 29-30. This annual event involves men’s clubs from the four Seattle municipal golf courses–Bill Wright, Interbay, Jackson Park and West Seattle–competing in a Ryder Cup-style competition. It features two-man and individual match-play formats, with each course hosting one of the four days. JPMGC Captain Brian Asplund will send Seattle Cup information to the club membership soon. JPMGC Home-and-Home with Snohomish Golf Course Men’s Club Set This Summer Jackson Park Men’s Golf Club has scheduled the second year of informal home-and-home outings with our counterparts from Snohomish Golf Course. Dates are Saturday, July 25, at Jackson Park, and Saturday, Aug. 15, at Snohomish. Although some details are still TBD, this year’s gatherings will again feature mixed foursomes from the two clubs, in a low-key event designed for camaraderie and charitable donations. Look for more information soon via email. JPMGC Unified Calendar Now Available Our men’s club is busy, especially with events and especially during the current peak season. Now you can stay on top of these many activities through a unified online calendar, thanks to the work of JPMGC board member Jon Rue and webmaster/Rules Committee Chair Reid Swick. This calendar lists the many tournaments our club holds throughout the year, as well as men’s club clinics, meetings, outings and other happenings. Check it out on the website. JPMGC Member-Only Group Clinics Held This Spring To help members improve their games and to foster camaraderie among club members, JPMGC coordinated with Jackson Park teaching staff to provide member-only group clinics this spring. The two four-week sessions–held Friday early evenings from April 17-May 8 and from May 15-June 5– focused on short- and long-game aspects, led by Jackson Park Teaching Professional Nick Baker. Nick reported he was pleased with how the clinics went and noted positive overall responses from participating members, even with a few no-shows among pre-registered attendees. Nick and JP staff are working on potential swing clinics for members this summer. Stay tuned for more information. Reminder: Premier to Limit Carryover of Book Money at Year-End 2026 A friendly reminder that Premier Golf has instituted a new policy to limit the carryover of course credit (aka book money) at Seattle public courses, including Jackson, from year to year. Starting at year-end 2026, book-money carryovers will be capped at $250. In other words, you must draw down your book-money accounts to $250 or less by Dec. 31, 2026, and the same in subsequent years. For more information or questions on this policy, please contact the pro shop, which can also help you make book money purchases. Please note book money can be used for merchandise as well as for the driving range, cart fees and instruction.